Automatic parking device

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for automatically parking automobiles having a steering means including a steering post and a transmission with a reverse gear. The device includes first gear means on the steering post, second axially and transversely displaceable gear means and third gear means operatively connected to be driven by the transmission drive shaft in reverse gear. The second gear means is selectively operatively positioned between the first and second gear means to transmit the rotation of the drive shaft to the steering post to effect turning of the steering wheels. Timing means control the direction of rotation of the third gear means so that the steering wheels of the vehicle are rotated in a first direction and, after a predetermined period of time, rotated in the reverse direction in order to accomplish the desired parallel parking.

United States Patent [151 3,669,200 Odell 1 June 13, 1972 [s41 AUTOMATICPARKING DEVICE 72 Inventor: Paul J. Odell, 116 Starkdale Road, Steujzffgfgmjfjg g Levy benville, Ohio 43952 I22 Filed: on. 23, 1969 STRAC [21]APP] 368,751 An apparatus for automatically parking automobiles having asteering means including a steering post and a transmission with areverse gear. The device includes first gear means on [52] U.S. Cl.180/1 AS, 340/52 the steering post, second axially and transverselydisplaceable [51] Int. Cl. ..B62d 5/00 gear means and third gear meansoperatively connected to be [58] Field of Search ..180/1 AS driven bythe transmission drive shaft in reverse gear. The second gear means isselectively operatively positioned [56 R f e ce Ci d between the firstand second gear means to transmit the rotation of the drive shaft to thesteering post to effect turning of UNITED STATES PATENTS the steeringwheels. Timing means control the direction of rotation of the third gearmeans so that the steering wheels of 2,906,355 9/1959 Hirsch ..l80/l ASthe vehicle are rotatedinafirst direction andfifterapredewr 2987l326/1961 Rfmer 180/1 AS mined period of time, rotated in the reversedirection in order 3,097,717 7/1963 Gllvarry et a1. 180/1 AS toaccomplish the desired parallel parking 3,097,716 7/1963 Pfister...180/1 AS 3,117,642 1/1964 Larinofi ..180/1 AS 9 Claims, 13 DrawingFigures PATENTEDJUN 13 m2 SHEET 10F 4 FIG. 4

FIG. 1

-INVENTOR PAUL J. ODELL ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUN 1 3 1912 SHEET 2 BF 4 FIG.3

FIG.5

INVENTOR PAUL J. ODELL.

M 0%, v ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUN 13 I972 SHEET 3 BF 4 INVENTOR PAUL J. ODELLfig. ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUH 13 1972 3.669 200 sum u or 4 FIG.9

TRANSMISSION DRIVE TAKE-OFF UNIT 74 I R I TL 73 35 32 fig LIT l I 59 I72 25 u NTOR I 34 PAUL J. LL

/ g ATTORNEY AUTOMATIC PARKING DEVICE The present invention is relatedto a device for automatically parallel parking an automobile vehicle.

It is well known that one of the most difficult maneuvers to effectaccurately in driving an automobile is parallel parking. This maneuveris considered sufficiently difficult so that several states require theability to parallel park in order to obtain a drivers licence.

The existing prior art devices have proved to be quite unsatisfactory.They generally have consisted of a fifth wheel mounted transverse to theother wheels. This wheel is selectively raised and lowered. It is drivenin the lowered position to move one end of the car in relation to thecurb. Such devices have been expensive and have greatly reduced theavailable space in the trunk.

Further parking devices have been proposed regarding power steering forcars. These devices will not operate on cars without power steering andgenerally merely provide selective control of the power steering deviceto execute the desired parking maneuver. These devices are also quiteexpensive.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a devicewhich will accurately and automatically effect parallel parking of anautomobile vehicle with the minimum of assistance by the driver.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automaticparking device which will, upon actuation, effect the automatic andproper rotation of the steering wheels of the vehicle as the vehicledrives in a reverse direction to thereby automatically effect theparallel parking of said vehicle.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a devicewhich requires the driver to only pull the car even with the carimmediately in front of the parking place, place the transmission intoreverse, actuate the device, and depress the accelerator in order toeffect automatic parking without manually turning the steering wheel.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide adevice which will effect automatic parallel parking of an automobilewith or without power steering.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide an automaticparallel parking device which may be readily and economically produced.

The means for accomplishing the foregoing objects and other advantages,which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are set forth in thefollowing specification and claims, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings dealing with a basic embodiment of the presentinvention. Reference is made now to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the steps of parallel parking anautomobile;

FIG. 2 is a side schematic representation of the invention as it isassociated with an automobile;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the drive shaft take-off unit ofthe invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the steering column control member;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows the gear means connected to operatively drive the wheelsin one direction;

FIG. 11 is a section through the dashboard of the automobile showing theactuating means;

FIG. 12 illustrates the actuating means and the manner of actuating theelectrical system; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the electrical system utilized withthe present invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the steps of parallel parking involve firstpositioning car A with respect to car B so that they are substantiallyparallel with their rear bumpers in substantial alignment. The car A isthen placed in reverse gear and the steering wheels thereof are rotatedtoward the right. As the car is backed to the position A, the rear endthereof is directed into the parking place at an angle with respect tothe curb. After the car has travelled a distance which the driver feelsis sufficient, the steering wheels are turned in the opposite direction,namely to the left, in order to complete the maneuver and swing thefront end of the vehicle past the rear of vehicle B, with properclearance, so that the car finally assumes a position shown in A" withthe car in substantial parallel relationship with and close to the curb.At this point the steering wheels are straightened to a forward positionand the car is centered in the parking space. However, drivers rarelyaccomplish this maneuver accurately because of the problem of judgingdistances, etc. The present invention will accomplish all of the abovemaneuvers except for the final straightening to center the car in theparking space.

FIG. 2 shows the major components of the invention as they are attachedto the vehicle. The major components are the drive shaft take-off unit10, the steering column control member 11 and a flexible drive cable12interconnecting said unit and said member. An actuating means 13 isprovided on the dashboard for manually activating the system.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the drive shaft take-off unit 10 is enclosed in ahousing 14 through which the drive shaft 15 passes. A drive shaft gear16 is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft and selectively engages with agear 17 which is fixedly attached to the flexible drive cable 12. Itshould be noted here that all the gears of the invention have been shownas friction gears, that is, smooth surfaced gears covered with asuitable high friction material. Many materials are readily available tofulfill this purpose. Of course, toothed gears and the like can also beused.

A timing unit 18 is operatively connected to be activated by theflexible drive shaft as it is driven. The timing unit includes gears 19and 20 which are connected to the flexible drive shaft and a shaft 21,respectively. A pulley 22 is also fixedly mounted on the shaft 21. Thepulley 22 cooperates with a second pulley 23 by means of a flexible band24 to rotate a series of at least three cams 25 to 27 which are mountedcoaxially on a shaft 28 and spring-biased to a rest position by a coilspring 29 mounted on one end of shaft 28. On the opposite end of theshaft 28 there is a clapper 30 which cooperates with a bell 31 in amanner which will be explained later. A series of electrical contacts 32to 34 are mounted to be actuated by cams 25 to 27, respectively. Asolenoid 35 is mounted on the housing 14 with its armature 36 connectedto a bracket member 37 for transversely moving the assembly comprisinggear 17, flexible drive shaft 12, and gear 19 so that the gears 17 and19 selectivelyengage with gears 16 and 20. Bracket 37 and gears 17 and19 are held up from: contact with gears 16 and 20 by leaf spring 82(FIG. 4) until solenoid 35 is activated. Also included in the gear 17 isa ratchet 38 and pawl 39 assembly, the operation of which will bedescribed below.

FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 showing theratchet 38 and pawl 39 assembly. The purpose of this assembly is toinsure that the flexible drive cable 12 will rotate in only onedirection. namely only when the vehicle is being driven in reverse. Thepawl 39 engages with the ratchet 38 to prevent a clockwise rotation ofthe flexible drive shaft.

FIG. 5 shows the coil spring 29 with one end fixed to the shaft 28 andthe other end fixed by means 40. The purpose of this spring isto insurerepositioning of the cams to a neutral position when the drive of shaft28 is discontinued.

FIG. 6 shows only the middle cam 26 and electrical contact 33 but isrepresentative of each of the cams. Each cam 25 to 27 is fixedly mountedon the shaft 28 to rotate therewith and includes particular portionssuch as the profiled surface 41 and projections 42 and 43. The cam isrotated in either direction until projection 42 or 43 engages with thestop bar 44 to prevent further rotation of the cam. A projection 45 onmovable contact 46 rides on the profiled surface 41 and selectivelyraises and lowers to make and break contact with the stationary contact47. When the movable and fixed contacts are engaging, then a solenoidwill be energized to effect the desired control. This will be furtherexplained later in connection with the electrical circuit shown in FIG.13.

Turning now to the steering column control member of the invention, FIG.7 shows a section view through the housing 48 and includes the steeringcolumn 49 with a steering gear 50 fixedly mounted thereon. A connectinggear 51 is mounted on a shaft 52 for manual axial movement and automatictransverse movement. Main gear 53 is mounted on a shaft 54 and has aninner driving surface 55, an outer driving surface 56, formed onrespective sides of an upstanding peripheral flange, and a hub drivingsurface 57, which constitutes an enlarged portion of the hub of the maingear 53. A driving gear 58 is mounted on the flexible drive shaft 12 andis selectively transversely movable to engage with either inner drivingsurface 55 or hub driving surface 57 of the main gear 53. Since theflexible drive shaft 12 is driven in rotation in only one direction, itis clear that the selective engagement of the driving gear 58 withdriving surfaces 55 and 57 will effect rotation of the gear 53 in eitherdirection as necessary. The outer driving surface 56 selectively engageswith the connecting gear 51 and through said connecting gear effectsrotation of steering gear 50 in a direction according to the selectivecontact of the drive gear 58 with driving surfaces 55 and 57.

FIG. 8 shows a section view of the steering column control member andthe manner in which the gears 50, 51, 58 and 57 selectively contact oneanother. The connecting gear 51 has three positions, the first of whichis shown in broken lines in FIG. 8 and represents a disengaged positionwherein the parking device is deactivated. The second position is shownin solid lines and represents the positioning of the connecting gearafter the manual control has been pulled to initiate actuation of theparking device. The connecting gear 51 is normally held away fromcontact with steering gear 50 by leaf springs 83 and 84 bearing againstshaft 52 and suitably fixed by means 85 on opposite sides of housing 48.The third position is shown in broken lines in FIG. 7 and represents theposition assumed when main gear 53 has been moved to the left byenergization of solenoid 59 thus causing a frictional engagement ofgears 50, 51 and 53.

The transverse movement of the main gear 53 is accomplished by means ofthe solenoid 59 which is mounted on the housing 48 by means of braces 60and 61. The armature 62 of the solenoid is connected to a bracket 63having arms 64 and 65 through the ends of which the shaft 54 passes. Themain gear 53 is mounted on the shaft 54 so that when the armature 62 ofthe solenoid 59 is moved to the left, the main gear 53 is accordinglymoved to the left till its outer driving surface 56 engages with theconnecting gear 51. The return movement of the main gear to the positionshown is effected by means of the compression spring 66 which biases thebracket to the position shown in FIG. 8.

The transverse movement of driving gear 58 is accomplished by means ofthe solenoid 67 which is fixedly mounted on one arm 64 of the bracket 63so as to be moved transversely therewith. The armature 68 of thesolenoid 67 is connected through a bearing 69 to the flexible driveshaft 12 on which the drive gear 58 is mounted and effects transversemovement of this gear with respect to the driving surfaces 55 and 57 ofthe main gear 53. Return movement of the drive gear 58 is effectedthrough means of the compression spring 70. Since the solenoid 67 andits associated parts are fixedly mounted with respect to the axis of themain gear 53, as the main gear is moved transversely with respect to itsown axis, the drive gear 58 will likewise be moved without losing itsrelative position to the main gear driving surfaces 55 and 57.

FIG. 9 shows the housing 48 and the manner in which the housing isslotted to allow the transverse movement of the various shaftssupporting the gears.

FIG. shows the driving gear 58 in contact with hub driving surface 57 ofmain gear 53; thereby reversing the rotation of steering column 49 fromthat shown in broken lines in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the actuating means 13 mounted on the dashboard ofthe vehicle. The knob 81 is mounted on the end of shaft 52 and is movedaxially to displace connecting gear 51. The dashed line position of knob81 corresponds to the solid line position of connecting gear 51 in FIG.8 and vice versa. After the knob and shaft have been pulled axially,they are rotated until arm depresses switch lever 86 of switch 74 andthereby closes the electrical circuit of the device. A compressionspring 79 normally biases the lever away from the switch which willnormally be in an open position.

The knob 81 preferably should have some marking on its face to indicateto the driver its relative angular positioning. The actuating means canfurther include a safety switch, preferably mounted to the drivers left,and status light. These elements are both shown in the electricalschematic in FIG. 13.

The operation of the inventive device will be explained with respect tothe electrical schematic shown in FIG. 13. The source of current is thebattery 71 and the system is initially energized by closure of a safetyswitch 72 preferably located on the instrument panel to the left of thedriver as mentioned above. When the switch is turned on it preferablyshould light a status warning light 73 to inform the driver that thesystem is energized.

As soon as the car has been positioned at A, as shown in FIG. 1, withthe rear bumper in substantial alignment with the rear bumper of parkedcar B, the knob 81 of the actuating means 13 is pulled out about an inchand turned to the right as seen in dotted lines in FIGS. 11 and 12,respectively. As the actuating means is turned it closes main switch 74which is held closed by a holding solenoid 75 until said solenoid isdeenergized by opening contact 34, the working of which will beexplained later. When the actuating means is pulled out it also bringsthe connecting gear 51 into position for contact with the main gear andthe steering gear (FIG. 8). The current passes through solenoid 35 whichmoves the bracket 37 to place the gear 17 in contact with the driveshaft gear 16. The transmission is then placed in reverse so that, asthe car is driven in reverse, the drive shaft 15 will turn the driveshaft gear 16 and gear 17 to likewise drive flexible drive cable 12 andconnecting gear 51. As the flexible drive cable 12 turns it also drivesthe timer through gears 19 and 20 in a manner similar to timers ofautomatic washing machines and the like. The first cam 25 closes contact32 to energize solenoid 59 which pushes the main gear 53 transverselyagainst the connecting gear 51 which in turn is pushed against thesteering gear 50. The second cam 26 closes contact 33 to energizesolenoid 67 which pulls the driving gear 58 against the hub drivingsurface 57 of the main gear 53 causing it to drive in one direction. Thethird cam 27 opens contact 34 to cut off current to the holding solenoid75 which releases the main switch to return to its normally openposition. The current is now cut off, except for light 73, and the coilspring 29 rotates shaft 28 to return the three cams to their originalposition and cause bell 31 connected to the housing 14 to be struck bythe clapper 30, secured to shaft 28 (see FIG. 3), thus audiblyindicating to the driver that the current has been shut off and that thesafety switch 72 should now be turned off to completely de-energize thesystem.

In order to completely explain the operation of the parking device, itis necessary to go into the details concerning the mathematics involved,the diameters of the various gears, and the distance the car will travelwhen the steering wheel is turned to the right and the distance whenturned to the left to put the car into its ultimate parking position.

A car with a gear ratio of 3:1 is used in the example. The wheels are 26inches in diameter and in one rotation of the wheels the car travels6.81 feet. The distance the car will travel backward as it is parkedwill be around 20 feet and three rotations of the wheels add up to 20.40feet. This figure of 20.40 feet will be used to show the distance thecar is backed in the process of parking. The drive shaft revolves threetimes in order to rotate the rear wheels once. Therefore the flexibledrive cable will make four revolutions to three revolutions of the driveshaft. Since the rear wheels will have to make three completerevolutions in order to go the full distance of 20.40 feet, the flexibleshaft will revolve 12 times.

Therefore, for each rotation of the flexible drive cable, the car willmove approximately 1.7 feet.

The main gear in the steering gear has an outside diameter of fiveinches and the hub within the main gear is one and one half inches indiameter. The drive gear on the end of the flexible drive cable is alsoone and one half inches in diameter and it is spring biased against theinner driving surface of the main gear. Since the steering gear has thesame outside diameter as the main gear, it is readily seen that as themain gear makes one complete revolution, the steering gear also makesone revolution.

To turn the front wheels of the car in one direction from center, thesteering gear has to make two revolutions. In order to avoid jamming ofthe steering wheel, one and three fourths turns should e sufficient.With these measurements in mind, it will take five and five sixthsrevolutions of the flexible drive cable to turn the steering gear oneand three fourths turns to the right in order to back the car 9.92 feet.When this is accomplished, the steering gear has to be turned one andthree fourth turns in the opposite direction to straighten the frontwheels. This is accomplished by solenoid 67 connected to the drive gear.This solenoid pulls the drive gear against the hub driving surface andturns the main gear in the opposite direction. The drive gear andsteering gear turn one and three fourths turns and the car travels 2.975feet.

The car then backs 4.53 feet in a straight line. This is accomplished bysolenoid 59 which disengages the main gear from the steering gear. Thestraight movement of the car takes two and two thirds revolutions of thedrive gear. As the car reaches this phase of the parking cycle, thefront of the car should clear the rear bumper of the car B in front ofthe parking space. The steering gear is then turned to the left one andthree fourths turns and the car backs an additional 2.975 feet. This isaccomplished by the solenoid 59 which engages the main gear and thesteering gear. This is the end of the parking cycle and the mechanismwill shut itself off and the gears and cams will return to theiroriginal positions. All that remains for the driver to do is to manuallyturn the steering wheel to a center position and center the vehicle inthe parking space. Also the knob must be depressed to remove theconnecting gear 52 from a connecting position with the other gears.

The purpose of the timer is to activate the two solenoids 59 and 67 andto shut the current off at the end of the cycle. When the current isshut off, spring 29 on the timer brings the three cams back to theirinitial position and also rings the bell as mentioned. The timer isgeared to the flexible drive shaft so that when the cable makes twelverevolutions, a three and one half inch diameter wheel is rotated 309.Dividing 309 by 12, the number of times the flexible cable rotates,gives 25.75". This represents the number of degrees the three disks willtravel in one revolution of the flexible drive cable. When the switch isturned on by turning the knob to the right, after it has been pulled outand the car starts to move backwards, the first cam will energize thesolenoid 59 which pushes the main gear against the connecting gear andthe steering gear. The steering gear should then turn to the right oneand three quarter turns. The rear wheels of the car travel 9.92 feetbackwards and the flexible drive cable turns five and five sixthsrevolutions and the cam disks turn l50.2l. At this point the steeringgear has to turn one and three quarter turns in the opposite direction.This is accomplished by the second cam which energizes the solenoid 67which pushes the drive gear against the hub of the main gear and causesthe main gear to be rotated in the op posite direction. During this partof the operation the car will back up 2.975 feet. The drive gear willturn one and three fourths turns and the timer cams will move through anarc of 45.06. During this time the front wheels of the car should bestraight, since the main gear and the steering gear are disconnected sothat the car backs straight. This is accomplished by the first cam whichcontrols solenoid 59. The third part of the operation will be to backthe car in 4.53 feet, the flexible drive cable will make two and twothirds revolutions and the timer cams will rotate 68.67.

At this point the front bumper of the car A should miss the rear bumperof the car B in front of the parking space. The steering gear is againturned to the left one and three quarter turns to place the car againstthe curb. In doing so the rear wheels travel an additional 2.975 feet,the flexible drive cable revolves one and three quarter turns and thetimer cams revolve through an arc of 45.06". The cycle is now ended andthe mechanism is in its original position. This is accomplished by thethird cam on the timer which shuts off the current to the holding coilwhich holds the spring part of the main switch 74 closed.

The current to the mechanism is now shut oh and the knob, whichactivates the main switch, is rotated and pushed in, making sure thatthe arrow points straight up. The connecting gear is now pushed out ofalignment with the other gears and the steering wheel is ready formanual operation. Last of all the safety switch on the dashboard shouldbe switched off.

Appearing herebelow is a chart which represents the above hypotheticalcase showing the direction of rotation of the steering wheel togetherwith the number of turns of the individual components. It must berealized there are many different cars on the market having differentgear ratios, wheel bases, diameter of tires, steering wheel ratios, etc.and that the above example is used for illustrative purposes only.

The present invention may be embodies in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential charac teristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description,and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalencyof the claims are therefore to be embraced herein.

I claim:

1. A device for automatically parallel parking automotive vehicleshaving a steering means including steering wheels, a steering postcontrolling said steering wheels and a transmission means having areverse gear and drive shaft, said device comprising first gear meansfixedly mounted on said steering post, second gear means operativelyconnected to be driven by said drive shaft, means to operatively connectsaid second gear means to drive said first gear means, and timing meanscontrolling the direction of rotation of said first gear means, saidfirst gear means comprising a main gear means having an upstandingperipheral flange forming an outer driving surface and an inner drivingsurface and a hub driving surface, all of said driving surfaces beingco-axial, a drive gear means mounted to selectively engage with saidinner driving surface and said hub driving surface and being driven in asingle direction by said means connecting said first and second gearmeans so that upon selective engagement of said drive gear means withsaid inner driving surface and said hub driving surface, said main gearmeans will be driven in either direction, a steering gear means fixed tosaid steering post, and connecting gear means selectively positioned tocontact said steering gear means and the outer driving surface of saidmain gear means, whereby upon placing said connecting gear means indriving connection with said steering gear means and sa d main gearmeans and said transmission in reverse gear, the steering wheels of saidvehicle are rotated in a first direction as said vehicle is backed upand then rotated in the opposite direction to complete parallel parkingof said vehicle.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said connecting gear means isboth selectively axially movable to be positioned between said main gearmeans and steering gear means and transversely movable to provide adriving connection between said main gear means and said steering gearmeans.

3. A device according to claim 1 further comprising selectivelyenergized solenoid means operatively connected to effect contact of saiddrive gear means with said inner and hub driving surfaces and effectingdriving contact between said steering gear means, connecting gear meansand outer driving surface of said main gear means.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein each said gear means anddriving surfaces are covered with a friction drive surface.

5. A device according to claim 4 further comprising warning lamp meansconnected to said solenoid means and energized when said device isoperative.

6. A device according to claim 3 wherein said timing means comprises aplurality of cam means spring-biased to a rest position, drive meansconnected to and driven by said means operatively connecting said firstand second gear means, said drive means driving said cam means inrotation against said spring-biasing, switching means responsive to saidcam means and operatively connected to energize said solenoid means.

7. A device according to claim 6 further comprising audio meansresponsive to said cams returning to their rest position thus indicatingthe end of the automatic parking maneuver.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein said second gear meanscomprises a first gear fixedly mounted on said drive shaft, second gearmovably mounted to selectively drivingly engage with said first gear,and said means operatively connecting said first and second gear meanscomprises a flexible shaft connected to and driven by said second gear.

9. A device according to claim 8 further comprising solenoid meansoperatively connected to effect driving connection of said first andsecond gears.

1. A device for automatically parallel parking automotive vehicleshaving a steering means including steering wheels, a steering postcontrolling said steering wheels and a transmission means having areverse gear and drive shaft, said device comprising first gear meansfixedly mounted on said steering post, second gear means operativelyconnected to be driven by said drive shaft, means to operatively connectsaid second gear means to drive said first gear means, and timing meanscontrolling the direction of rotation of said first gear means, saidfirst gear means comprising a main gear means having an upstandingperipheral flange forming an outer driving surface and an inner drivingsurface and a hub driving surface, all of said driving surfaces beingco-axial, a drive gear means mounted to selectively engage with saidinner driving surface and said hub driving surface and being driven in asingle direction by said means connecting said first and second gearmeans so that upon selective engagement of said drive gear means withsaid inner driving surface and said hub driving surface, said main gearmeans will be driven in either direction, a steering gear means fixed tosaid steering post, and connecting gear means selectively positioned tocontact said steering gear means and the outer driving surface of saidmain gear means, whereby upon placing said connecting gear means indriving connection with said steering gear means and said main gearmeans and said transmission in reverse gear, the steering wheels of saidvehicle are rotated in a first direction as said vehicle is backed upand then rotated in the opposite direction to complete parallel parkingof said vehicle.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein saidconnecting gear means is both selectively axially movable to bepositioned between said main gear means and steering gear means andtransversely movable to provide a driving connection between said maingear means and said steering gear means.
 3. A device according to claim1 further comprising selectively energized solenoid means operativelyconnected to effect contact of said drive gear means with said inner andhub driving surfaces and effecting driving contact between said steeringgear means, connecting gear means and outer driving surface of said maingear means.
 4. A device according To claim 3 wherein each said gearmeans and driving surfaces are covered with a friction drive surface. 5.A device according to claim 4 further comprising warning lamp meansconnected to said solenoid means and energized when said device isoperative.
 6. A device according to claim 3 wherein said timing meanscomprises a plurality of cam means spring-biased to a rest position,drive means connected to and driven by said means operatively connectingsaid first and second gear means, said drive means driving said cammeans in rotation against said spring-biasing, switching meansresponsive to said cam means and operatively connected to energize saidsolenoid means.
 7. A device according to claim 6 further comprisingaudio means responsive to said cams returning to their rest positionthus indicating the end of the automatic parking maneuver.
 8. A deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein said second gear means comprises a firstgear fixedly mounted on said drive shaft, second gear movably mounted toselectively drivingly engage with said first gear, and said meansoperatively connecting said first and second gear means comprises aflexible shaft connected to and driven by said second gear.
 9. A deviceaccording to claim 8 further comprising solenoid means operativelyconnected to effect driving connection of said first and second gears.